4 Questions To Ask Before Selling Your Home

By Mark Spain Real Estate

Selling your home often appears simple and straightforward. But in reality, the decision to sell your home can initiate a complicated process if you haven’t done your research beforehand. That is why we have compiled a list of four questions to ask yourself before selling your home!

Mark Spain Real Estate is the #1 team in the US for closed transactions, and though we may have decades of experience in the housing market, we understand that not everyone else does. Home selling is undoubtedly a big undertaking, but a few specific considerations can help to ease the process and maximize the efficiency of the sale. Below, we’ve put together a list of four critical questions to ask before selling your home. 

Questions to Ask Before Selling Your Home

What Is My Home Actually Worth?

Home sellers tend to overestimate their home’s value, mostly out of optimism. And though we’d like to see you get as much money for your home as possible, accurately assessing your home is essential to an effective home selling process. Many home sellers resort to online tools and automated estimation programs to identify their home’s worth. While these are sometimes accurate, there are more effective ways to get an estimate on your home. 

One option is to take a look at your property taxes. Property taxes are directly connected with your home’s worth, and you can use your state’s assessment rate to calculate the full market value of your home. This number is often only around 80-90% of your home’s total value, but it’s a good place to start. Additionally, you can simply talk to a real estate professional. The Exclusive Listing Consultants at Mark Spain Real Estate are vastly familiar with the real estate market and can readily provide a free Comparative Market Analysis helping you better understand your home’s value.

Should I Hire a Home Inspector?

Home inspectors are often a listed contingency on behalf of the homebuyer, but some real estate experts recommend a home inspection before listing your home–a preliminary analysis known as “pre-inspection.” Pre-inspections provide a few advantages to selling your home, such as bringing crucial repairs to light or improving the accuracy of your listing price. However, pre-inspections also cost money, and they don’t necessarily mean that the buyer won’t want to hire their own home inspector, whose findings may be different. This is a key consideration if you’re looking to sell your home, and it’s important to know that it’s on the table. 

What Parts of My Home Will Get the Most Attention?

Whether you plan to stage your home or not, there are a few vital spaces to spruce up before listing and showing your home. For example, homebuyers tend to focus on the kitchen, living room, and master bedroom, as these are areas that most people spend a majority of their time in. However, you may also want to pay special attention to your entryway or foyer, as most buyers know if a home is a good fit within seconds of stepping inside. Additionally, garages and closets may also influence a buyer’s decision. It’s important to keep all of these spaces tidy, so try organizing them with shelves or containers to create a little more space. 

Should I Use a Real Estate Agent?

Many home sellers try to sell their home independently, and it can often become overwhelming very quickly. By working with a real estate professional, you can mitigate the stress, eliminate excess time spent researching, and efficiently make the best decisions throughout the entire home selling process. The best real estate agents will help with all of the tough considerations by providing up-to-date insight and information, while simultaneously keeping track of the details and required procedures.

Most importantly, homes listed with a realtor typically sell faster and for more money than homes sold by the owner, and the average difference more than exceeds the cost of commissions. Additionally, well-connected real estate agents, such as those at Mark Spain Real Estate, will know all of the best local contractors, home inspectors, plumbers, electricians, and others that can help facilitate the sale of your home. 

Mark Spain Real Estate is the top-rated real estate agency in the nation for customer satisfaction, and selling your home is our specialty. If you’re looking to sell your home fast and bypass the stress and home showings, check out our Guaranteed Offer program and close in as little as 21 days! But whether you’re looking to find a new home, sell your home, rent a home, or just have some general questions, get in touch with the experts at Mark Spain Real Estate today.